Body dryer device

ABSTRACT

A waterproof body dryer device ( 10 ) which is installable either inside or outside a shower stall or bathtub for drying a user&#39;s body and hair, comprising a dispenser body ( 16 ) provided with a plurality of dispensing or blowing means ( 18 ) for discharging an airflow adapted to hit the user&#39;s body, and actuating means of said dispenser body ( 16 ) for dynamically drying the user&#39;s body.

The present invention relates to a body dryer device. More inparticular, the present invention relates to a body dryer device, andeven more in particular, to a drying device to be installed inside ashower stall or bathtub or outside and close thereto for drying aperson's body and hair.

It is known that a person who uses a shower to wash his/her body andhair dries his/her body and hair by means of uses a towel and/orbathrobe when the washing has finished.

However, the towel or bathrobe tends to get wet due to the dryingoperation and fills with bacteria which, if the towel is not washed andsanitized, tend to proliferate on the fabric with the risk of causingerythema or similar skin problems for the person, in addition to badodor and/or the feeling of lack of freshness.

Another drawback is that drying means, such as towels or bathrobes,especially in case of facilities such as hotels or gyms or the like,often tend to become rough upon washing (typically with non-softenedwater) and due to the low-quality of the fabric, and therefore tend tobe poorly absorbent as well as feeling scratchy in contact with theskin.

A further drawback related to the use of towels and/or a bathrobe isthat they do not always allow complete drying because of the fabric ofthe towel (in fact the drying is related to the absorbent capacities ofthe fabric) or because not all areas of the body are reached (e.g., themiddle of the back or the shoulders), with such an incomplete dryingwhich does not facilitate putting on underwear or other clothing.

A further drawback related to the use of towels is found in case of careto elderly, disabled, or motor-impaired people, where caregivers need tospend a not negligible amount of time in drying operations with all theproblems related to the conditions of the cared persons.

Solutions have been developed in order to overcome these problems, whichallow drying in a completely natural manner and by means of warm airjets which hit the person's body. Some known air drying devices aredefined by platforms (similar to weighing scales) on which the personsteps and that emit a warm air jet from below, which hits the person'sbody thus drying it.

Other known types of body air drying devices are installed above theshower stall or bathtub and are capable of emitting an (either warm orcool) air jet which hits the person from above.

One such a solution is described in DE202007017873, which refers to ashower-dryer comprising a box-like body in which a fan and heatingresistors are arranged; the position of said box-like body can be variedto adjust the height position of the drying means as a function of thewarm air flow user's height.

Another known solution is described in EP0530726 and comprises abox-like body in which a fan is arranged, which generates an airflowexiting from a grid to which a tube can be applied, the tube beingcapable of being gripped by a user and the height position of theboxed-like body being capable of being adjusted to adapt it to theuser's height. A similar solution is described in U.S. Pat. No.5,438,763, which comprises a box-like body in which the blowing andheating elements and nozzles for discharging the warm airflow arearranged, which is provided with a blowing tube capable of being grippedby a user and a system of pulleys for enabling the airflow through thetube excluding the airflow from the nozzles of the box-like body.

A further known solution of a body air drying device is defined by a“column-like” panel provided with dispensing nozzles which emit an airjet hitting the person positioned in front of said panel, as describedin US2018/0064298. However, the known solutions have some drawbacksrelated to the fact that such devices are arranged outside the showerstall thus requiring the person to leave the shower stall while drippingwet, implying the need for a preventive partial drying by means of atowel (falling into the drawbacks mentioned above) or with the drawbackof making the floor of the bathroom or other dedicated space wet.

A further drawback of the air drying devices, in particular of thedevices with a fixed jet coming from below or above, is related to thefact that they do not allow complete and uniform drying of the person'sbody.

It is the object of the present invention to obviate the drawbacksdisclosed above.

More in particular, it is the object of the present invention to providea body dryer device of the air type and adapted to allow complete dryingof the person's entire body.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a dryerdevice adapted to be installed inside a shower stall or at a bathtub oroutside them.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a dryerdevice adapted to allow a person's body to be dried uniformly,thoroughly, and quickly.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a dryerdevice which may be used by elderly or disabled people.

It is a further object of the present invention to make available tousers a dryer device adapted to ensure high efficiency and durabilityover time and moreover such as to be manufactured easily andcost-effectively.

These and other objects are achieved by the invention having thefeatures outlined in claim 1.

According to the invention, a waterproof body dryer device is provided,which is installable either inside or outside a shower stall or bathtubfor drying the user's body and hair, comprising a dispenser bodyprovided with a plurality of dispensing or blowing means for dischargingan airflow adapted to hit the user's body, and actuating means of saiddispenser body for dynamically drying the user's body. Advantageousembodiments of the invention appear from the dependent claims.

The constructional and functional features of the body dryer device fora person according to the present invention may be better understoodfrom the following detailed description in which reference is made tothe accompanying drawings, which show a preferred and non-limitingembodiment thereof, and in which:

FIG. 1 diagrammatically shows a shower stall comprising the body dryerdevice of the present invention;

FIG. 2 shows a diagram of the constituent elements of the dryer deviceof the invention.

With reference to the aforementioned figures, the dryer device for aperson's body, indicated by reference numeral 10 as a whole, is adaptedto be installed inside a shower stall or compartment 14 and comprises adispenser body 16 provided with a plurality of dispensing or blowingmeans 18 adapted to allow discharging an airflow generated by thecomponents housed inside the dispenser body 16 and better describedbelow, with said airflow (the temperature of which can be adjustedaccording to the user's specific needs, as better disclosed hereafter)which hits the person's body thus drying it.

According to alternative embodiments to the preferred embodiment shownin the figures, the device of the invention may be installed outside theshower stall or bathtub.

The dispensing or blowing means 18 can be defined by openings obtainedin the dispenser body 16 having a slotted or circular or other suitableshape, or alternatively said dispensing or blowing means comprise fixedor adjustable nozzles which can externally project and which can have around or flat blowing cone or can be defined by blowing bars.

The aforementioned dispensing or blowing means 18 can be arrangedaccording to at least one horizontal line or can have a matrix-typedistribution, or again can be arranged according to one or more curvedlines (said last arrangement allows a better “envelopment” of theperson's body); moreover, the dispensing or blowing means can have anarrangement and shape such as to combine both functional (airflowemission) and aesthetic features.

Furthermore, the dispenser body 16 is movable to be lowered/lifted(along a vertical direction indicated by arrow “Y” in FIG. 1) by meansof (one or more) linear guides 20 vertically arranged and stabilized toa wall, for example of the roller or roll type or of the recirculatingball or rack type or other known type adapted for the purpose.

Inside the dispenser body 16, which is of the waterproof type, there area turbine 22 actuated by means of a motor 24 and connected to thedispensing or blowing means 18, a heater unit 26 for transferring theheat to the air produced by the turbine 22 and conveyed to thedispensing or blowing means, a control unit 28 connected to the motor 24and the heater assembly 26 which governs the operation of the componentsdescribed as a function to the features required by the user who canadjust the air temperature and the power of the flow emitted by means ofan input device defined by a display or keypad 40 applied to thedispenser body 16 or a display or keypad 42 connected remotely thereto(for example, the input device 30 is applied to the shower stall 14 orclose thereto, e.g., applied to a wall of the space) or the input devicecan consist of a remote control or a software application installed on amobile phone or tablet or the like.

The power supply of the device of the invention is implemented by meansof a 12-volt power supply connection 32, or alternatively it can bepowered through the connection to the 230-volt central power supplynetwork.

The heater assembly 26 comprises heating resistors (the types of whichmay be different depending on the specific requirements) or can comprisea heat pump device.

According to an alternative embodiment, the dispenser body 16 cancomprise an accessory element defined by a shower head 34 connected tothe dispenser body 16 by means of a tube 36 to the dispenser body 16,and more in particular to the turbine 22; said shower head 34 being usedfor drying the hair or parts of the body, such as armpits or the like asan alternative to that achieved by means of the dispenser body 16, oragain can be used for drying infants or children.

The body dryer device of the present invention is installed/integratedinto the shower stall body, but it can also be a kit which isinstallable in an already installed shower stall.

Furthermore, the dryer device, described here with particular referenceto its installation in a shower stall, can also be installed orintegrated into a bathtub or can be installed outside them.

In particular, if the dryer device of the invention is installed outsidethe shower stall or the bathtub, a panel opposed to the installationwall of the drying device will be provided with the function of definingan “obstacle” to the airflow emitted by the dispenser body; indeed, ifthe device is installed inside a shower stall, for example, the walls ofsuch a shower stall will define an obstacle for the dispersion of theair exiting from the dispenser body which thus will remain moreconcentrated inside the stall and there will be no load dispersionthereof (in the absence of a wall or obstacle, the air (which is warm)will tend to flow towards the ceiling of the room, thus losingpressure).

The operation of the drying device of the present invention, describedabove with reference to the technical features and constituentcomponents thereof, is explained below.

The user, once he/she has finished washing his/her body (by showering orbathing), can activate the dryer device 10 by means of an activationbutton 41 located on the dispenser body 16, with the dispenser body 16moving downwards and upwards (by means of the guides 20) and emits anairflow through the dispensing or blowing means 18 so as to dry theuser's body and hair completely; furthermore, by means of the display orkeypad 40, the user can activate only the operation of the accessoryelement defined by the shower head 34 so as to dry his/her hair andother parts of his/her body, as desired.

Moreover, the user will be able to adjust the temperature and power ofthe airflow exiting from the dispenser body or set an activation timingof the drying device by acting on the display or keypad 40 of thedispenser body 16, or again the user will also be able to set thedownward/upward movement of the dispenser body 16 (intended as thenumber of upward/downward passes or vice versa).

Alternatively, and if said display or keypad is arranged outside theshower stall, e.g., if said display is of the external panel 42 orremote control or mobile phone application type, the user can decide toprogram the functions of the drying device (and decide on the airflowtemperature, power, duration, etc.) in advance.

The advantages achieved by the body dryer device of the presentinvention are apparent from the foregoing description.

The body dryer device of the present invention advantageously allowsdrying one's body and hair by means of air with a laminar flow in anon-static but dynamic manner, because the body dryer is movable up anddown and therefore is such as to dry the person's whole body with theelimination of body moisture; furthermore, the user can decide thenumber of passes of the drying device (in terms of upward and downwardmovements or vice versa) for complete and uniform drying.

A further advantage of the device of the invention is that it can alsobe installed directly in the shower stall or bathtub and therefore itdoes not require the user to have to leave the shower stall or bathtub,thus avoiding problems of water on the floor of the bathroom.

A further advantage of the dryer device of the invention is that it canbe an accessory component or kit or a fully integrated device of adedicated shower stall or can be installed in pre-existing shower stallsor bathtubs or outside them.

It is further advantageous that the drying device of the invention, ifinstalled either inside a shower stall or outside (by virtue of the useof an obstacle or counter-wall) allows avoiding a pressure drop of theair emitted by the dispenser body, thus allowing a greater dryingefficiency and speed.

A further advantage of the device of the invention is that it allowseasy adjustment of the drying parameters (air temperature, airflowpower, timing, and the like).

It is further advantageous that the dryer device of the invention iseasy to use even by elderly, not self-sufficient or disabled persons,who can dry themselves being unassisted (by standing up and/or holdingon to a support of the handle type or the like) without using towels(because the dryer device can be adjusted to perform multipleup-and-down passes to achieve a complete drying), and without the needfor assistance (which could be limited to the activation or programmingof the dryer device or to a quick drying with a traditional towel).

A further advantage of the dryer device of the invention is that theairflow emitted by the dispenser body, being under pressure, results ina “massaging effect” on the user's body.

Although the invention has been described above with particularreference to a preferred, non-limiting embodiment thereof, severalmodifications and variations will become apparent to those skilled inthe art in light of the above description. Therefore, the presentinvention aims at encompassing all modifications and variations fallingwithin the scope of the following claims.

1. A waterproof body dryer device (10) which is installable eitherinside or outside a shower stall or bathtub for drying the user's bodyand hair, and characterized in that it comprises a dispenser body (16)provided with a plurality of dispensing or blowing means (18) fordischarging an airflow adapted to hit the user's body, and actuatingmeans of said dispenser body (16) for dynamically drying the user's bodycomprising at least one linear guide (20) vertically arranged andapplied to a wall for moving said dispenser body (16) up and down.
 2. Adevice according to claim 1, characterized in that the dispensing orblowing means (18) of the dispenser body (16) comprise a plurality ofopenings formed on the surface of said dispenser body, said openingshaving a slotted, circular/wavy, or similar shape.
 3. A device accordingto claim 1, characterized in that the dispensing or blowing means (18)of the dispenser body (16) comprise fixed or adjustable nozzles having around or flat blowing cone.
 4. A device according to claim 1,characterized in that the dispensing or blowing means (18) of thedispenser body (16) comprise blowing bars.
 5. A device according toclaim 1, characterized in that the dispensing or blowing means (18) arearranged according to at least one horizontal line or may have amatrix-type distribution or, again, may be arranged according to one ormore curved lines.
 6. A device according to claim 1, characterized inthat the dispenser body (16) comprises a turbine or blower (22) drivenby a motor (24) and connected to the dispensing or blowing means (18), aheater unit (26) for transferring heat to the air produced by theturbine (22), a control unit (28) connected to the motor (24) and theheater unit (26), adapted to adjust and manage the operation of saidturbine or blower, motor, and heater assembly, and activating means (41)for the operation of the dispenser body (16).
 7. A device according toclaim 1, characterized in that it comprises an input device (30) definedby a display or keypad (40) applied to the dispenser body (16) or adisplay or keypad (42) remotely connected to said dispenser body.
 8. Adevice according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises anaccessory element comprising a shower head (34) connected to thedispenser body (16) by means of a tube (36) for emitting an alternativeairflow to that of the dispensing or blowing means (18) of the dispenserbody (16).